Mixing Business and Pleasure in the Kitchen

Archive for the category “Breakfast”

I’ve been wanting to make some sort of fruity breakfast bar that could actually pass as part of a balanced breakfast…as opposed to, you know, a dessert hiding beneath a few oats. To make matters even better, I recently came into a few bags of beautifully frozen sweet red cherries and have been itching to do something yummy with them. Though March is just around the corner, cherry season is still a ways off and I’m definitely missing summer fruit.

So here’s what I came up with. The base is a lightly sweetened oat crust that’s quickly made in the food processor and then baked solo while you whip up the cherry filling. Just toss a few easy ingredients together and you’re practically done. Dump the filling on your crust, top with some more oat crumb and sliced almonds, and then back in the oven. Though these take about an hour to make–start to finish–there’s really nothing fussy about them. The crust is actually an adaptation of a recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking; inspired by their Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bar, I set to work tweaking the ingredients and swapping out the filling until I came up with the rendition you’ll find below.

I just love pears and I’ll tell you, this has been a good year for pears. Some have been so ripe they’re downright sloppy and inappropriate for public consumption…but again, oh so good. Hopefully you’ve been enjoying a few of these yourself!

This simple preparation takes the sweet and juicy Bartlett pear to a whole new level. Roasted and caramelized with a sweet and complex glaze, these pair beautifully with your favorite vanilla bean ice cream for a deceptively decadent dessert or atop creamy Greek yogurt for a sweet and satisfying breakfast. Prepped in less than 10 minutes and out of the oven within 30, you’ll find this recipe is as easy as it is delicious!

Oh, how I love cinnamon rolls. Whether it’s Christmas with the family or just a rainy morning, there’s nothing quite as homey as a sweet and gooey roll straight out of the oven. Of course, everyone’s got an opinion when it comes to the filling. Raisins. No raisins. Nuts. No nuts. Glaze. Cream cheese frosting. Lucky for me, I’ll take one in just about any way, shape or form. I’m easy like that.

For awhile now, I’ve wanted to try a cinnamon roll filled with apples. I mean, how could you go wrong with that? Seems like a stroke of genius, right? Spiced Grannies rolled up in a sweet yeast dough and drizzled with glaze? I drool.

So here’s the recipe I came up with. I’ll just be straight with you and tell you these were amazing. So. Good. The apples were a fantastic departure from the ubiquitous raisin and they were loved by one and all. The Grannies really gave these rolls a wonderful flavor and, needless to say, made the entire house smell just heavenly. Though they take a little work, these apple cinnamon rolls are most definitely worth it.

Oh, and did I mention these have half the calories you’d find in many similar bakery creations? Nice.

Sometimes I like to make something special for Saturday mornings. To me, nothing says nostalgia like the smell of coffee, bacon, and some sort of baked goodness permeating the house. Though cinnamon rolls and coffee cake are always a wise choice, I was recently inspired to make apple kuchen. If you’ve not had kuchen before, it is a German yeasted coffee cake that’s often topped with fruit and served either for breakfast or dessert.

Simply put, this apple kuchen was just lovely. The wonderful aroma of sweet yeasted dough, spiced apples, and toasted almonds was nothing short of cozy and inviting.

Well now! It has been several weeks since my last post and for that, I am sorry. The holidays have a way of making the time fly, what with all the merry making. I do hope you had a lovely Christmas and the new year is just around the corner! If you happen to be one of the many who plan to shed pounds in 2013, stay tuned for future posts to help you with your goals. In addition to waistline-friendly recipes, I’ll be sure to post tips, tricks, and commonsense recommendations for your nutrition and fitness resolutions.

In the meantime, however, let there be Deep Dish Cinnamon Buns! Let me be clear, I have not tweaked or modified these to be a ‘health food.’ No, these are an indulgence, pure and simple: a potato-enriched yeast dough is shaped, dunked in butter and then rolled in a brown sugar-cinnamon coating, baked until glorious and finally drizzled with Grandma Hazel’s Creamy Glaze. These are absolutely worth the effort and your family is sure to rise up and call you blessed.